05 wrangler lift recommendations

Pbj ak

Pbj ak

10-4 keep’em comin
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I picked up an 05 wrangler the other day and was thinking about lifting it up and adding bigger tires. Maybes 3/4 inch lift and 33s but not decided for sure. Any recommendations on lift kit brands to use and/or stay away from? Is it smart to mix and match parts?

One guy I talked to recommend ruff country but a lot of what I read online says they’re not all that great. I’m looking at a budget of around $2000 give or take for parts/labor not including wheels and tires.

I had a local shop go through it today and changed oil in the rear end, brakes, as well as look for anything else that might need fixed. I plan on putting in new ball joints, tire rod ends, control arm bushings, and sway bar links before the lift. Also changing the brake calipers.


The jeep is right hand drive and will be a back up for the Prius (don’t tell anyone) as a mail car. With gas the way it is I plan on just driving this in the woods mostly and only a mail car if the other goes down for a day or two.

As always, any info is greatly appreciated and if there’s anything else I should watch out for please let me know.

There’s several dents and dings but I think everything is sound for the most part. Has 135,000 miles on the odometer. B69AF932-7A84-4867-894B-602DDE885FC9.jpeg
 
Rough country isnt bad for what it is. I wouldn't do anything serious offroad with it. However for a driver or basic trail rig it should be fine. Upgraded shocks will be best as well.

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Call fabtec in Dallas nc. You used to be able to buy right from the factory there
 
Sky’s the limit on lift prices….I don’t see a problem with RC in your application..,doesn’t seem like maximum articulation is needed. Good call on staying smallish (33”) with the tires. Short wheelbase jeeps get pretty unpleasant to drive the taller they get, as well as needing regeared to keep things happy.
 
3.5 inches will allow for 33 inch tires on a TJ. A basic lift kit is really all you need for looks and some easy trail riding. A basic lift should come with new lower control arms and bushings....so don't spend the money on doing the control arm bushing before the lift. I wouldn't do any of that stuff before the lift.... do those things when you install the lift and save yourself some work. You will need to have the front end aligned after the lift. I would not mix and match lift parts unless you know what you are doing....a kit is an easier way to go.

If it sits up too high.... it might be a PITA to use a mail car unless the doors are off. The window ledge will be above most mailboxes.
 
Pard!!! You saw mine when you visited here....2004 in as perfect a shape as anybody could imagine...33 inch BF Goodrich All Terrain Mudders on it with NO lift...and NO problems.
 
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Unless you have a Rubicon, I’m quite certain you will need to get a slip yoke eliminator kit for your transfer case.

Whatever you do, keep pinion angles fresh in your mind.

Teraflex has some good lift kits. I’d put Bilstein 5100 shocks on it as well. Don’t install the boots that come with them. If they’re already installed on the shocks, cut them off.

The old front shocks don’t have to be hard to remove. Just remove the bottom bolts and grab the shock body and yank it real hard until the shaft breaks. The shaft is really hard but also brittle.

My 2 inch Teraflex spring lift with 32 inch tires lifted mine exactly 3 inches higher than stock.
 
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Well, my ol’ jeep isn’t a rubicon and it dang sure doesn’t look near as good as mr. oak’s jeep. I hate to sound like an elitist but I’d like to have something a little better than the rough country kits. Not that I’ll need it but if the need arises, I’ll have the piece of mind. Or maybe won’t have to upgrade so much later. Kind of like how a psa will get the job done but it’s nice to have the “bcm”.

I looked up the bilstein 5100 shocks and they’re recommended for a ~2 inch lift which might not be the wrong way to go. I did get a set of the 5100s for my wife’s 4 runner a while back and they worked out nicely although I don’t have much to compare them to besides the old wore out stock shocks that were changed.

I saw old man emu had an ultimate kit (2.5 inches) that seemed to have a lot of extras not included in other kits. After looking around I don’t see many complete kits around $1500, they’re all $2500+. My goal is to have something cool but I want to do it right and not have problems here and there from skimping and cutting corners. I also don’t have unlimited funds but hopefully I can put something together.
 
Honestly, I wouldn’t buy a complete lift kit with shocks and all that.

You can get a 2 inch lift from Teraflex, basically springs and bump stops and buy the shocks and taller sway bar links separately.

The Teraflex kit comes with a rear traction bar relocation bracket. However, with my experience, I had to get one from another source that correctly shifted the traction bar further forward away from the gas tank.

I wouldn’t recommend going higher than two inches in my opinion.

The higher you go past two inches at the springs, the more complicated, and expensive, it gets.

One thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact that the rear differential has to rotate up with a higher than stock lift to maintain a correct pinion angle. If you go with a lift beyond two inches at the springs, the rear spring pads will contact the rear shock shafts and you will have to cut out part of the spring pad for clearance.

My apologies if I sound like a Debbie Downer.😂

Be sure to relocate the front brake lines as well. The rear will be fine. They say you don’t have to relocate the front brake lines with a two inch lift, but I would. It’s not difficult at all.

You can get the relocation brackets from Quadratec.
 
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I agree with everything @Qball said, from my experience with the 97 TJ that I had years ago. Keep it low lift to keep it less complicated.
Also look into aftermarket fenders or fender flares that give more tire clearance without lifting the jeep. Those did not exist back when I had mine, or that would have been the way I went.
The stock suspension is fine as is. You are just trying to get clearance for taller tires.
Another good option for tire clearance is a 1-inch body lift, to get clearance without requiring additional modifications and costs.
Basically what I am trying to say… Change as little as you can in order to fit the tires you want. The type of lift kit that you are talking about (stock control arm length) is not really going to make the suspension work any better than stock. It will just add more height, and potential complications like driveshaft vibrations.
But then if you want to go down that road and get into more involved modifications, there is nothing wrong with that. :) But it isn’t *required* to get the tire size you are looking for.
 
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One more thing to add: If you are having someone do this work, tell them you do not want them to use an impact wrench to remove and install, the transfer case skid plate bolts.

Those bolts, as big as they are, need to be torqued to only 33 ft lbs. There are many shops out there that will just use impact wrenches and torque the crap out of those bolts.

They screw into a nut that is welded to the inside of the frame rail. When that nut breaks loose, some special procedures need to be applied in order to bolt the skid plate back on. Those welded nuts can break loose when an impact is used while removing or installing. Those bolts should only be removed with hand tools and torqued with a torque wrench.
 
Its been a while.......but mine had a 2.5 inch lift kit combined with a 1 inch body lift. My kit had 1 inch spacers that lowered the transfer case which eliminated the need for a slip yoke eliminator.. It rode decent on the road and was a good moderate trail rider.
 
Qball said:
One more thing to add: If you are having someone do this work, tell them you do not want them to use an impact wrench to remove and install, the transfer case skid plate bolts.

Those bolts, as big as they are, need to be torqued to only 33 ft lbs. There are many shops out there that will just use impact wrenches and torque the crap out of those bolts.

They screw into a nut that is welded to the inside of the frame rail. When that nut breaks loose, some special procedures need to be applied in order to bolt the skid plate back on. Those welded nuts can break loose when an impact is used while removing or installing. Those bolts should only be removed with hand tools and torqued with a torque wrench.
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In used a dremel with cut off wheels to eventually remove all 6 of those GDMFSOB bolts that some DAMF over torqued.
 
Lift kits are easy to self install. Easier if a friend helps.
What you save in labor will pay for tools and more upgrades.
High clearance flares, maybe minor trimming will let you for 35's with a 3 inch lift.
You'll need in impact driver for those 17 year old bolts.
Bigger tires also means regearing.
That can run $800+ per axle.

Jeep greatly improved dimensions from JK on. I had 37's on my 2010 4dr Rubicon with only a 2.5" lift. I did the lift kit install at home. Saved over $1k in labor just for that.


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DangerRuss said:
The stock suspension is fine as is.
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DangerRuss said:
Change as little as you can in order to fit the tires you want.
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DangerRuss said:
But then if you want to go down that road and get into more involved modifications, there is nothing wrong with that. :) But it isn’t *required* to get the tire size you are looking for.
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These take-aways are the TRUTH. My 2004 Rocky Mountain Edition came with wide fenders from the manufacturer. If you are looking for a certain "LOOK" that's fine also..but not needed for 33s.
 
fishgutzy said:
Lift kits are easy to self install. Easier if a friend helps.
What you save in labor will pay for tools and more upgrades.
High clearance flares, maybe minor trimming will let you for 35's with a 3 inch lift.
You'll need in impact driver for those 17 year old bolts.
Bigger tires also means regearing.
That can run $800+ per axle.

Jeep greatly improved dimensions from JK on. I had 37's on my 2010 4dr Rubicon with only a 2.5" lift. I did the lift kit install at home. Saved over $1k in labor just for that.


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Put a 2.5" on the JK Sunday.....easy yes, quick,no...and man was it hot.


20210823_082227.jpg
 
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McDirkale said:
Put a 2.5" on the JK Sunday.....easy yes, quick,no...and man was it hot.


View attachment 369797
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Definitely easier on a new Jeep than a decade old Jeep. Clean bolts. Either way, one can buy a lot of tools with what one saves on labor paying someone else.
On my 2010, if I recall correctly, I did the lift kit first, then Poison Spyder bumper to bumper replacing all plastic with steel, plus the PSC brawler rockers. I've posted a 4 panel "stages" photo showing the progression from stock to fun.
River Raider Off Road makes an awesome engine to gas tank skid plate kit that will prevent hang ups that the stock skid plate can't. Also improves aerodynamics on road. My Rubicon was at least 700# heavier, on 37's with 5.13 gears, when finished. It got the same highway MPG as bone stock with 32's and 4.10 gears.
 
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